Comparison of Plant Diversity in Eco-Friendly and Conventional Farmland in Gyeonggi Province

Seung-Hee  Lim1,*   Sang-Wook  Han2   Jae-Eun  Jang1   Ji-Young  Moon1   Min-Woo  Sin1   Joo-Hee  Nam1   Gab-June  Lim1   

1Organic Microorganism Research Center, Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services, Gwangju-si 12805, Korea
2Environment and Agricultural Research Division, Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services, Hwaseong-si 18388, Korea

Abstract

This study was conducted to compare plant flora living in eco-friendly agriculture and conventional agriculture farmland in Gyeonggi province to provide basic data for the need of eco-friendly agriculture and the value of the coexistence of nature and agriculture. Among field crops, organic and conventional cultivation sites for beans (Yeoncheon), red peppers (Pocheon), glutinous corns (Yangpyeong), green onions (Icheon), and potatoes (Yeoju) were selected. Plant coverage was classified into 7 grades ranging from r to 5 and the analysis of important values was performed. A total of 37 families and 141 species of weeds were investigated, with 32 families and 106 species in conventional cultivated fields and 33 families 121 species in eco-friendly cultivated fields. In eco-friendly cultivated fields, the order of important values was Digitaria ciliaris, Artemisia princeps and Echinochloa crus-galli. In conventional cultivated fields, the order of important values was A. princeps, D. ciliaris and Equisetum arvense. As for the weeds that appeared in eco-friendly cultivation fields were 27 species of Asteraceae, 19 species of Poaceae, 12 species of Polygonaceae, and 7 species of Fabaceae. Weeds belonging to the Asteraceae and Poaceae account for 47.2% of the total number of weeds, and the pattern of weed occurrence showed a similar trend between eco-friendly and conventional cultivated fields. The diversity of weeds was found to increase in the eco-friendly cultivation area, which is an important fact indicating that eco-friendly agriculture should be expanded.

Figures & Tables

Fig. 1. Number of plant species by family investigated in eco-friendly (A) and conventional (B) cultivation sites in Gyeonggi province.